Carbon markets are being established around the world, but how exactly do cap-and-trade systems work? By answering a few questions on cap-and-trade systems, this piece illustrates why and how such systems are being adopted in practice.

Greenpeace supporters know this is the fight of a generation, and they see what's happening in the Arctic right now as a turning point in the fight against fossil fuels. That's why millions of people around the world have become Arctic defenders, with more joining every day.

More than a third of U.S. forests are owned by individuals and families -- a larger share than the federal government or various companies own. As we work to protect both the environment and rural economies, family-owned forests are hugely important yet too often overlooked.

Of course, we shouldn't over-state the good news. Only half the Senate was willing to say human activities were a "significant" cause of climate change, and actual plans to limit carbon pollution are sure to be under assault in the days ahead.

Investing in conservation has long been the province of development-finance institutions and philanthropic foundations. Now, wealthy individuals are starting to invest as well, opening a potentially huge new source of private capital for ecosystem preservation.

This is what it was called before it was referred to as "global warming," and then more accurately and broadly, "climate change." Back in the good old days we figured we still had plenty of time to address it. In that period, nuclear threat was the prime concern.

Shell is running out of places to hide. Today, LEGO announced it will be ending its 50-year relationship with the oil company after millions of people around the world called on the toymaker to put the partnership on ice.

Above all, it is clarity, not complexity, that companies need -- which is why in addition to putting a price on carbon, BT supports a carbon labelling scheme for electricity, as one solution that would reward businesses for using low carbon and renewable energy.

Though the winds often come sweeping down the plains in Oklahoma, they have not blown hard enough to clear away the misguided, misleading views of Sen. James Inhofe. Inhofe is a top ranking Dirty Denier because of his campaign funding from dirty sources and his terrible votes against the environment.

Rep. Rodney Davis is far out of step with most Americans who want clean air, land, water and for the government to do something about climate change. And he needs to show some leadership by embracing his own words by taking action on climate change.

We did a little digging and found an interesting pattern. It turns out that while Rep. Cuellar's pro-environment votes went way, way down, his contributions from the oil & gas industry went up -- way, way up.

Congressman Tom Latham represents a large, windy district in Iowa. But unfortunately the winds of change don't seem to have blown strongly enough to change his outdated views on energy and climate policy.